368 LETTERS OF A CITIZEN. 



the sloop-of-war. On all occasions, both in season and out of 

 season, your voice was heard upon this subject, and it was your 

 sedulous endeavour to have the estimates for the frigate stricken 

 out, which the president had ordered you to present to Congress. 

 What was the result ? Why, sir, the national legislature ap- 

 proved what the executive, in the exercise of his best judgment, 

 had done ; the frigate was provided for, and, by that act, took the 

 place occupied by the sloop in the law of the preceding session. 

 All discretionary power here properly terminated; precisely as 

 all executive discretion in the modification of a treaty ceases 

 when it has been ratified by the Senate. I appeal not to you, 

 sir, but I do appeal to every man of intelligence, if this be not the 

 only true, the only fair exposition of which the case will admit. 

 What, then, can be thought of all the special pleadings of " A 

 Friend to the Navy," when he claims for you the right, by the 

 agency of a naval board, to lay Vandal hands upon the frigate ; 

 an assumption of authority about as defensible as would be the 

 cutting off of one or all of the smaller vessels, because, forsooth, 

 something about them might not suit you ; when, the truth is, 

 nothing about this expedition ever did suit you or ever will. 



I am at a loss to know, perhaps you can tell, what " A Friend 

 to the Navy" means by stating that " Congress, in February last, 

 made appropriations under which five ships might be employed 

 on this expedition, but did not require that so large a force should 

 be employed, unless, agreeably to the act authorizing the measure, 

 such force should be necessary and proper to render the expe- 

 dition efficiently useful." And pray, sir, where do you find 

 this power of limitation confided to the secretary of the navy ? 

 Whence is the inference, and where the authority, sir, that Con 

 gress made an appropriation that might be used, and, at the same 

 time, did not require it to be used. I ask for the proof that any 

 portion of this expedition has been conditionally sanctioned, and 

 I know that I ask in vain, notwithstanding the boldness with 

 wjiich " A Friend to the Navy" has hazarded the assertion. Sir, 

 you have no authority for your late efforts to break up the expe- 

 dition by reducing its force, and sophistry cannot screen you from 

 the public censure which that act alone has called down upon you. 



Allow me, sir, to illustrate this point by what might be deemed 

 a parallel case, and one in which I think you would adopt pre- 



